Sand Creek enjoyed a luxury many sports teams aren’t typically afforded.

Learning a hard lesson the easy way.

The Scorpions capped the regular season Saturday at Colorado Springs Christian with a 20-2 record and beat CSCS in four sets 25-19, 25-13, 22-25, 25-14.

However …

“We should’ve won that in three,” Sand Creek’s Asher Mallrich said. “We were messing around a little too much and trying to have fun for our last game. We tried to get (the win) at the end of the third set, but it didn’t happen. … We just need to take it a little more seriously but not so much where we start to get down on each other.”

In their two years with a boys volleyball team, the Scorpions have dropped just one set in three games to Colorado Springs Christian.

That occurred last season when the Scorpions lost 25-23, also in the third set, but beat CSCS 3-1.

In the regular season finale, Sand Creek didn’t allow the Lions to score 20 points in either of the first two sets and built a 2-0 match lead.

The Scorpions continued to pepper the Lions with points in the third set and took a 9-1 lead.

But that lead dwindled to 10-5. Then 16-15.

Sand Creek rebuilt its advantage to 20-17, but CSCS used a 5-1 run to take its first lead of the day at 22-21.

That forced Scorpions coach Alaina Schleich to call Sand Creek’s first and only timeout of the match.

“She put us in our place,” Mallrich said. “She knew we weren’t taking it as seriously as we should have. … She let us know that how we finished this game could change where we’re placed in regionals.”

Schleich said she’s noticed when the Scorpions play weaker teams, “We get to the third set and we kind of mess around.”

The Scorpions’ first-year coach also noted that it’s imperative that Sand Creek learns to maintain its focus throughout the contest.

“I told them we have to celebrate and be intense about every single point,” Schleich said. “In the second set, we had fun and we put the ball down. When they’re not doing that, they get in their heads. I told them put it away and celebrate your wins and play hard.”

The Scorpions heeded Schleich’s words in the final set and, after trading points with CSCS to start set four, Sand Creek built an 11-7 lead and forced the Lions to burn a timeout.

The Lions’ timeout did little to stop the Scorpions’ pressure.

Sand Creek scored the next four points out of the break and closed the set on a 14-7 run to finish undefeated in Pikes Peak 2 League play.

“We struggled with serves earlier in the match, but we fixed that in the fourth,” Mallrich said. “Hard hits also pumped us up. We were tipping and roll shotting, but those don’t get us hyped. When we see Christian [Chandler] or [Hudson Toaddy] slam it, we start getting hyped and we push back.”

As regionals approach, Schleich hopes the Scorpions understood the lesson from their victory at CSCS.

“We want to show people that we’re capable, but we can’t do that being silly in the third set,” Schleich said. “We have to lock in every set and fight every time we’re on the court. Even at 20-2, we’re ranked pretty low. We’re hovering somewhere between 11 and 14 depending on the day.

“I told them that no one is taking them seriously. Everyone thinks you’re winning the games that you should, but you can’t win the games that are a challenge. That’s what’s driving us as we enter the postseason.”